Tube-driving and pulling mechanism



United ,States Patent 2,982,365 runn-nmvmc AND PULLING MECHANISM Fairfield H. Elliott, 452 Edgewood Drive, Clayton, Mo.

Filed Sept. so, 1958, Set. No. 764,394

1 Claim. 01. 115-152 This invention relates primarily to an extremely compact and efficient tube, pipe or pile-driver for use in locations having severely limited headroom. Its compactness and eificiency of operation give it the ability tobe set into performance in situations which otherwise would require extraordinarily costly operations.

For instance, where it is desired to drive piles under the floor of a basement of a building which has already been constructed, in order to stabilize the earth under the building, this invention has application.

Another use would be in taking cores from under the floor of an already existing building, a specific problem which has, until the advent of this invention, been a most expensive matter.

These together with various ancillary objects and features of this invention which will laterbecome apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by the device, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated by way of example only, in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of the device, the driving hammer being shown in a central position in its path of travel, together with two dotted line positions assumed at other points in its path of travel.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view, through the device, taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1. v

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view, throughthe device, taken along the line 3-3 of Figure l.

Specific reference is now made to the drawings. In the several views and in the following specification similar reference characters indicate corresponding elements throughout.

Indicated generally at is a split drive sleeve, provided with two guide slots 11, 11 which are cut into the sides of the split tubular drive sleeve. Disposed at opposite ends of the drive sleeve 10 and threadably engaged thereon, are the upper anvil 12, provided with a central bore 13, and the lower anvil 14.. Integral with the lower anvil 14 is a bushing or reducer 15. In Figure. 1 a length of driven pipe 16 is shown as threadably mounted upon the reducer 15.

Slidably disposed upon the split drive sleeve 10 is the hammer or weight 17. The hammer takes the form of a large cylinder of metal having a vertical central bore 18 in which the drive sleeve 10 is disposed.

The hammer 17 is also provided with a transverse or horizontal bore 19. In bore 19 there is disposed the lifting bar 20. Lifting bar 20 is depicted in Figure 3 which shows that the lifting bar is held fixed in position by the two locking pins 21, 21, which ride in smaller bores, at opposite ends of the diameter of the hammer. The latter bores are also vertical bores, but they do not pass entirely through the body of the hammer; they terminate by communicating with the transverse bore 19 in which the lifting bar 20 rests. It will be noted that the lifting bar is provided with two shoulders 22, 22, which prevent the removal of the bar after the locking pins have been inserted.

2,982,355 Patented May 2, 1961 2 Projecting vertically through the bore 18 in the hammer is the lifting bracket 23. The lifting bracket 23 is provided with an aperture near one end through which the lifting bar fits and projects.

At its other end the lifting bracket is provided with eye 24, through which is passed the end of a length of wire cable 25, employed in raising the hammer. The cable end is secured to the cable after it has been passed through the eye 24, to form a loop, by the bolted cable clamp 26. Above the lifting bracket 23, the cable passes through the bore 13 of the upper anvil 12 and then over a pulley 27, whence it passes to the drum of a winch, according to customary practice.

In operation, to drive tubes or pipes, the pipe is first threaded onto the reducer 15 mounted upon'the lower anvil 14. Then the hammer israised to the upper dotted line position shown in Figure 1 near the upper anvil, by means of the cable.

Then the cable is. released and the hammer drops past the lower dotted line position to strike the lower anvil 14, driving the tube into a lower position and the operation is repeated.

For pulling tubes or for extracting or taking cores, after a sampler tube or a sampler spoon has been driven, the above sequence of steps is reversed. The hammer is lowered to its position shown in dotted line slightly above the lower anvil 14 and rapidly pulled upward, by means of the cable until the hammer strikes the upper anvil 12 and raises the tube. Then the hammer islowered again and the operation is repeated.

It will be noted that the device is designed for extreme case of assembly and operation where there is very lowheadroom. This is required for situations in which such driving or pulling of tubes or piles is to be accomplished without damage to ceilings and upper floors of existing structures. The unit can be assembled quite easily in an ordinary basement wherein the headroom may be only six feet from floor to ceiling. Pipes can then be driven through the basement floor to create a stable foundation for the building or for a machine foundation, without damaging the building or inconveniencing the occupants. The advantage will become apparent when it is realized that it is possible to drive pile under an existing structure without even interrupting work being carried on in the same rooms of the building where the driving is being accomplished.

It is to be understood that though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and the scope of the appended claim.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is as follows.

I claim:

A tube driver comprising an elongated tubular drive sleeve having upper and lower ends, an anvil mounted upon the lower end, a reducer mounted upon said anvil, a second anvil mounted upon the upper end and provided with a vertical bore, a pair of guide slots through the sides of the sleeve along the longitudinal axis of the sleeve, a driving hammer provided with a vertical central bore reciprocably and slidably mounted upon the drive sleeve and provided with a horizontal transverse bore and two smaller vertical bores communicating with said transverse bore, and disposed .upon opposite sides of said vertical central bore and said drive sleeve, a lifting bracket disposed in said tubular drive sleeve and provided with an aperture, at its lower end and an eye at 1ts upper end, a lifting bar riding in said transverse bore in said hammer and passing through the aperture of said lifting bracket and through the two guide slots along the longitudinal axis of the tubular drive sleeve,

said lifting bar provided with two shoulders, one communicating with each of said smaller vertical bores, a pair of locking pins in the smaller vertical bores in said hammer cooperative with and abutting against said shoulder s to lock the lifting bar in position, and a wire cable attached to the lifting bracket through said eye to raise and lower the hammer by means of the lifting bar reciprocably along a path of travel guided by the drive sleeve.

4 References Cited in the file of-thl: patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Donaldson Dec. 9, 1890 McDowell Mar. 3, 1953 Cullum Mar. 4, 1958 Barrett et al. May 6, 1958 Morehead July 22, 1958 

